<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Homemade from the Heart! by genrose05</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24002956">Homemade from the Heart!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/genrose05/pseuds/genrose05'>genrose05</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday, Cupcakes, F/M, Fluff, stopsleepingonrina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:13:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,134</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24002956</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/genrose05/pseuds/genrose05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gina's birthday is quickly approaching and Ricky still hasn't gotten her a present. By quickly approaching, it meant Ricky had 24 hours to figure his mess out. In an attempt to show his affection from the bottom of his heart, he decided to try and make somethings homemade Gina Porter style.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Homemade from the Heart!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>rina fics are lacking and we need more!!<br/>tw// food (just in case any of u are uncomfortable with the mentions of food, this one shot is filled with it!!)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ricky Bowen woke up that one Thursday afternoon with no worry. His hair looked decent for just getting out of bed and the pantry actually had breakfast food within it. It was no worry until while eating his third bowl of cereal he saw Gina's birthday timer on Instagram and saw that her birthday was the next day. Every memory shifted through his mind and he kicked himself for not remembering it. Since Gina transferred, Ricky has done anything in his power to make sure she felt welcome. He would let her down if he happened to just forget one of the most important days of his and hers life. </p><p>He practically shoved his bowl into the sink in front of him and grabbed his keys. He knew Gina wouldn't be that mad or upset if he gave nothing to her but an empty hand and an overused endearment but Gina is special to Ricky. He can't explain it but she is. There are about a hundred new kids that come to his high school but the only one he saw and helped was Gina. Freshman could survive but she completely transferred. Ricky was happy he was trusted enough to get through her cold-as-stone exterior. </p><p>But Ricky wasn't the only one helping. Gina was there for when his dad started going out again and bragged about the women he met. He felt like his mom didn't even exist to his dad and although he never likes to express it much, crying won't hide a broken heart and Gina can tell a fake smile from a destroyed one. They ended up going to an ice cream parlor and ordered milkshakes. Who knew they had the same favorite? Mint chocolate chip with extra whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and two cherries instead of one. They stayed there for so long just talking and talking and Ricky learned more about Gina that he never thought he would learn. He learned that she bakes. When she's stressed, which she played off to be not very often, she bakes these cupcakes that have a gooey center but have enough cake so it's not annoying when eating. He appreciated the little things. She was starting to open up about what she likes and dislikes and didn't leave out any details so he wouldn't get confused about what she was talking about. She even admitted that she has always wanted to learn to ride a skateboard since she quit at a risk of injuries. She used to skateboard but when she started to compete in dancing, it wasn't an option anymore. While she stole the last cherry off his milkshake, he offered to teach her.</p><p>He could get her a skateboard? Yeah, a skateboard. And where is he going to get the money to buy a skateboard. He didn't even drive off yet, he's just rubbing his shaky hands on the steering wheel and composing his fragile self from slamming his head against the wheel twenty times, no big deal. What would Gina do? Bake? Probably if she was in this situation. She'd bake numerous amounts of treats and a cake that could be labeled taller than EJ. Wait, bake! Ricky Bowen you clever son of a bitch.</p><p>-</p><p>Ricky Bowen you dumb son of a bitch. He knew he didn't know how to bake. If anyone saw him now, they would just tell him to read the instructions on the back. That's what he's been doing for the past hour. Home Ec wasn't his thing and he is most definitely failing it. </p><p>He's lucky he got past the step of getting all the ingredients and putting them where they're supposed to go... on the counter. He's yet to put the water and oil in the cups and he just staring at the box like it'll magically do something. </p><p>"3 whole eggs. I have to crack them? Or just the whites or just the yolks? God, be more specific." If he couldn't get past the egg step, he was screwed. "Where am I even cracking them anyway? What size bowl do I use? What if I make too many?" He's just talking out loud like the Pillsbury Dough Boy is hearing his cries. He took a step back and looked around for a normal glass bowl and a whisk. Or does he need to use a spatula? Does it matter?</p><p>The bowl almost slips from his hands when he's walking back to the island counter. If he dropped the bowl, he doesn't want to imagine himself with the eggs. </p><p>Fuck, fuck, fuck he forgot to preheat the oven. He's a mess. He bought this stuff hours ago and now it's 11:00pm and his hands are still shaking. He doesn't want to disappoint Gina. With all the brightness she brought into his life, the least he could do is break a batch of cupcakes for her birthday. Hell, she made a batch of cupcakes for him when he got a C- on his history test that he freaked out about for two weeks. She brought them over in a light blue container that had his name written on it in cursive. She believed in him so much that she made them the day before the results came out. They had their own little private party with a soundtrack he made for moments like that. By moments like that, he meant moments with Gina. She makes him want to go on a summer road trip to the beach and stay in crappy motels watching the broken television and eating delivery food from the closest restaurants as possible but it doesn't matter if anything is bad because they just erase the crap with their good. Gina would act out any dramatic death scene that comes on the tv because when moving around a lot, she stayed in many motels and got used to the whatever they decided to show that night. When growing so close to Gina, Ricky learned that she was actually really funny and can make light with anything without making it a big joke. She knows when to stay serious and knows when it's time to pull a few silly strings and give a little giggle that makes Ricky giggle back. He rarely giggles around other people. It's probably nobody gets him, nobody but Gina. Gina gets him and not because they share similar experiences but because she doesn't compare her experiences to his. Gina gets him.</p><p>Gina gets him so she wouldn't give a flying fuck if these cupcakes were still in their liquid form when he brings them to her house tomorrow because Gina would get the fact that Ricky Bowen can't bake for his life.</p><p>He's grateful his father tried teaching him how to cook one night when he was going to be out. He preheats the oven with a bit of difficulty and sprung with joy when it actually worked.</p><p>"Three eggs. Just use the whole egg!" With the image of Gina in his mind, he felt more motivated to do this. He felt so many sparks of energy running through his body because he was actually doing this. This is one for the history books. "Just three..." Once his hand grasped the first egg he could see, it felt right out of his fingers and splattered all of the floor. "eggs. Okay, it doesn't matter. That's just one."</p><p>To his luck, he managed to get three of them out of the carton and onto the counter without any hazard. He remembers the video Gina showed him now. It was just a how to video on making simple vanilla cupcakes. They did the mix first then added the ingredients. Without trying to cause more hazard to himself, he grabbed safety scissors and carefully cut the tip of the bag. He knew he could've pulled the bag apart like anyone else but if he made it this far just to spill the mix everywhere and all this last-minute preparation was completely useless. He calmly pours the mix into the bowl with his shaky hands. Give him a slap on the back for doing that himself. </p><p>"Now," he looked over at the white-shelled demons of a food, "the eggs." His hand reaches for the eggs hesitantly. </p><p>"Gently and lightly, gently and lightly..." He knew closing his eyes and squeezing them shut was his worst idea yet. He knew that the egg wasn't supposed to shatter all over his hand and the bowl. When he opened his eyes and saw the mess he made, he just wanted to scream as loud as possible. There where shells stick within the mix, thankfully all on the side or on top of whatever came out of the egg. "Fuck you, eggs!"</p><p>"Ricky?" At this point, he wanted to take the bowl of egg-shell filled mix and dump it all over his head because that won't make him as big as a loser as he is now. Seriously, he can't bake a damn cupcake. He can't let Gina eat these.</p><p>"Hey dad." Ricky felt like crying also. Another emotional factor to his breakdown about cupcakes. "Just some midnight baking, no big deal."</p><p>"You're holding a yolk, Richard." His dad has never seen his son look so dedicated over something small and now he doesn't know whether to be proud or concerned that he is about to start crying. "Just calm down, grab another egg."</p><p>"Another egg is going to turn into two then three and..." Richard was quick to act and put his hands on Ricky's shoulders which calmed him down.</p><p>"Another egg is just going to be one. You can do this." Ricky still had his eyes closed while he nodded softly. Richard wanted to know what was going on in his son's imaginative head but he's not going to press. Not tonight, at least. "Watch your language." Ricky chuckled lightly at his dad and watched him leave before turning back to his mess. Before he got his egg, he picked the tiny shells out of the mix. The last time he checked, cupcakes aren't supposed to be accidentally crunch. Once all the sticky shells were out of the mix, he calmly grabbed another egg from the fridge and took a deep breath before tapping it against the side of the bowl. It sent tiny crack all over but it didn't open right away. He hit it again and remembered the video again. He gently opened the egg and without any shells of his knowing falling in, the first egg was done. After that, the next two weren't that hard to open and he could finally move onto the oil and water. He had the cup out and he found the measurements and filled to the right number. It did splash a bit but it didn't matter because the water made it in the cup and the cup made it to the counter. No water was spilled and the oil was no problem either. </p><p>"Time too mix." He grabbed the whisk confidently. He decided on the whisk because he thought it made him more professional. With his sleeves up, he began to mix the batter slowly. The original recipe said to use a mixer but they don't have one of those and if he were to buy one, he could've just bought a skateboard instead. After five minutes, he could see the powder starting to disappear which made him happy because if he has to keep mixing, his hand might fall off. Then Gina would actually care about these cupcakes. He leant the whisk against the bowl to take a break and grabbed his phone. He instantly clicked the playlist for him and Gina and the first song got him hyped. When Gina started to warm up to Ricky, he introduced her to the world of David Bowie and old rock songs. Heroes by David Bowie was her favorite. Just to make her happy though, he added some of her favorite songs. Maybe they weren't his style but they were Gina's so he might as well adapt like she did. Him and Gina had a similar style in music, hers was just a bit more modern. </p><p>He could bring his guitar and sing to her. She said she liked the way Ricky plays guitar. Apparently when he's in the zone, he's truly in the zone and already has the pop star sol out stadium look. If only. Gina would be there with him. They would be a duo who sings and one dances while the other one provides back up the extremely talented dancer that is Gina Porter. He can see her name in shining lights that'll attract anyone with just a bling. She doesn't need anything big for everyone to love her. She just has to be Gina. </p><p>Everything felt easy now. He felt like the whisking was doing it itself now and Ricky was just a meaningless guide. Soon enough he was done mixing and lining the tray with tins of purple seemed like his favorite thing in the world. Purple is Gina's favorite color. She didn't even need to tell Ricky, he just picked up on it. In every one of her outfits, there is always something purple and that thing is what catches your eye even if it's just a bracelet. Ricky knows Gina to be coordinated and organized when it comes to her every day life. Just thinking about how how happy she could be seeing these made Ricky happy and as he filled the tins with a small smile on his face, he had no idea what he was so worried about in the first place.<br/>
-</p><p>Ricky has never felt so lucky to find his old skateboard and a bunch of ribbon in his garage. The ribbon was his mothers but she seemed to forget about it so he used it to his advantage. It was a glittery purple ribbon and he tied it around the lilac container he got to put the cupcakes in. The ribbon was tied so the box could stay stable on the skateboard. he had a plan that he was going to approach Gina's house and roll the cupcakes on a skateboard while blasting Birthday by the Beatles because Gina said she wanted everyone to sing her that instead of Happy Birthday. </p><p>He pushes the board very slowly as he walked around the block. In walking distance, Gina only live like a minute away with the way Ricky was walking right now. When he caught sight of Gina's porch and the one and only sitting on the steps, he started playing the music from the speaker sitting at the edge of the board. She didn't even look up but Ricky knew she was smiling. When she finally did look up though, they made eye contact and Ricky's heart that was poured into the cupcakes just melted on the sidewalk because he has never felt so much admiration for one person. </p><p>"Major Bowen, a pleasure to see you on this fine Friday morning." Ricky shook his head and pushed the board the last time and it hit Gina's feet. </p><p>"Delightful to see you too, Commander Porter." Gina giggled. She giggled and Ricky giggled and the music was almost ending. "And a happy, happy birthday to you." Gina unwrapped the ribbon delicately and took the container off the board. She first opened the card.</p><p>"Dear, Commander Porter, or known as Gina,</p><p>Happy Birthday! I remember the day we first met. You didn't want anything to do with me, now look where we are. I have to admit, I didn't think we'd ever get this far but now that we are here, this has been the best couple of months of my life. If I had the option to restart this whole year for two million dollars, I wouldn't even hesitate to refuse because Gina, you are my favorite person. You are, and always will be because I have never met anyone like you and someone who cared about me so deeply. </p><p>This board is now yours and I will offer you free lessons because that's the type of guy I am.</p><p>I love you, Gina. Happy, happy birthday." By the time she finished reading it, her eyes were glossy and the curls coming out from the lavender headband were shading anyone from seeing it. </p><p>Gina didn't say anything about the card. She just wiped under her eyes and nervously chuckled before opening the container. Her big smile instantly came back at the sight of blue and purple sprinkled cupcakes. </p><p>"Ricky, I don't know what to say." He doesn't know why he was so nervous. She looked every shade of happiness with just the sight of confetti cakes and a skateboard. </p><p>"Don't say anything." So she didn't. They sat there in silence just staring around. Anything but at each other because they are both afraid of ruining the tranquility at the wrong time. Ricky was extremely grateful for Gina. He doesn't know how many times he needs to say it because he is but he wants people to know. He wants people to have knowledge of the beautiful girl that should sell joke books, bakes better than anyone he's ever met, can sing and dance like an angel gracing the clouds, and just exists perfectly. </p><p>"So, you going to help me eat these or just leave me to suffer?" Ricky shook his head and sat right next to her. She gave him a cupcake, the bumped each other's and instantly took a bite. Gina looked delighted. "Ricky, these are amazing."</p><p>"I don't know." She hits his shoulder.</p><p>"What do you mean, you don't know?"</p><p>"I think there might be something wrong with mine." Gina leaned over and looked at the top of his cupcake.</p><p>"What do you mean, it looks-" Gina was cut off with vanilla frosting being smushed in her face. She couldn't even find herself to be mad that her make up just got ruined. "Wow, Bowen."</p><p>"I can't believe you fell for it, though. That one's on you." Ricky was still laughing as he handed her a napkin to wipe her face off. Once she was done, she threw the napkin at Ricky. </p><p>"Thank you for this. Really, my mom isn't home for it and I was basically alone so thank you." Ricky nodded back at her with a soft smile on his face. He adored the way her eyes are always bright even in a bad mood. They fit with everything. She was his everything at the moment. </p><p>Gina took another cupcake and leaned her head on his shoulder. He actually ate one this time, they weren't that bad for a first-time baker. He sighed contently and placed his head on hers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>also heres the playlist ricky and gina made!!</p><p> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MoB7ddsgDlfyFeyAukWak?si=LxnykkPMQqCIfZCBpWkGZQ</p><p>have a great day&lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>